Thai Green Curry with Chicken
A fragrant, herbaceous Thai curry built on fresh green chilies, lemongrass, and coconut milk, simmered with chicken and Thai eggplant. Bright, spicy, and deeply aromatic.
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, sliced into thin strips
- 3 tablespoons green curry paste (store-bought or homemade)
- 2 (13.5-ounce) cans coconut milk, divided
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup thai eggplant, quartered, or 1 japanese eggplant, cubed
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup bamboo shoots, drained
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar
- 4 kaffir lime leaves, torn
- 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup thai holy basil or thai basil leaves
- 2 red thai chilies, sliced, for garnish (optional)
- 1 cup water, as needed
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large wok or heavy pot over medium heat and scoop the thick cream from the top of one can of coconut milk into the pan.
- Fry the coconut cream for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until it starts to split and release fragrant oil at the edges.
- Add the green curry paste and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until deeply aromatic and the oil separates further; this step is essential for cooking out the raw sharpness of the paste.
- Add the sliced chicken and stir-fry for 4 to 5 minutes until the outside is no longer pink.
- Pour in the remaining coconut milk from both cans along with the lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
- Add the eggplant and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes until just tender, adding a splash of water if the curry looks too thick.
- Stir in the bell pepper and bamboo shoots and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes more until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 F.
- Stir in the fish sauce and palm sugar, tasting and balancing the salty, sweet, and spicy notes until the flavor is bright and well-rounded.
- Remove from heat and stir in the Thai basil leaves just until wilted; do not overcook, as basil turns bitter and dark with too much heat.
- Discard the lemongrass pieces and kaffir lime leaves if desired, then garnish with sliced red chilies and serve immediately over steamed jasmine rice.
Why You'll Love This
- Frying the curry paste in coconut cream, rather than adding it raw, builds real depth and aroma
- A vibrant balance of salty fish sauce, sweet palm sugar, and fresh green chili heat
- Fresh Thai basil stirred in at the very end keeps its bright, peppery aroma intact
Frying the curry paste in the split coconut cream until fragrant and oily is the single most important step for a deeply flavored green curry.
Adding the basil off the heat at the very last moment preserves its fresh aroma instead of letting it wilt into a dull, bitter green.
Nutrition
| Calories | 480 |
| Protein | 29 g |
| Fat | 37 g |
| Carbs | 14 g |
| Fiber | 3 g |
| Sodium | 780 mg |
Estimated per serving
